Heart of Darkness
by Miratete
Summary: Chapter 5: "Too Close To Home" posted! Frightened by the forced regeneration of Candlehead's rogue fan, Gloyd Orangeboar sends the girls away. But was it the right thing to do? He turns to fellow racer Jubileena Bing Bing for advice and words of comfort.
1. The Rescue

**Heart of Darkness**

-o-o-o-o-o-

**What's going on in this candy-coated heart of darkness?**

**~Wreck-It Ralph**

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Chapter 1: The Rescue**

-o-o-o-o-o-

Gloyd eased his kart to the side of the road and unlatched the hood. He wasn't exactly happy with the performance of the new air filtering system he'd installed on the Kernel. Perhaps if he opened the intakes further...

He'd expected to do some tweaking to the system while the engine was hot, and had brought along his work gloves and a toolkit. And so he pulled on the gloves and opened the hood. But just as he was getting out a couple of screwdrivers, a tiny voice floated from the forest at the side of the track.

"Help! Please! Help!" it cried in high-pitched tones.

Looking over, he could see a candy-citizen running toward him, one of Taffyta's fans. Her heart-shaped face was all panic. Her dark eyes were open wide and ran with frightened tears. "Help me! Please, you must help!"

"What's wrong?"

"My sister! She's trapped in the river! Please will you come?" she whimpered, tugging at his arm.

Gloyd looked down at the terrified thing, tiny white hands gripping his wrist. "I'll do what I can. Where is she?"

"Here, this way. She's in the river."

The lollipop girl ran off into the forest, Gloyd following closely behind, and they soon arrived at the bank of what Gloyd recognized to be the Pink Lemonade River. The girl pointed at a group of gumdrops midstream. Amidst them another of Taffyta's fans clung to them, mewling like a scared kitten.

Gloyd appraised the situation. The girl was holding tightly to the slippery gumdrops, terrified of being swept downstream. The river here ran deep and fast. But as bad as her predicament looked, he also saw that he could rescue her. He ran back into the forest and tugged several licorice vines off of the ground, and then tied them together securely into a long rope. The first lollipop girl watched closely, wringing her tiny hands with worry.

He lashed one end of the licorice rope around a bank-side tree, and then called to the girl caught in the river. "Hold on! I'm coming for you!" He hurriedly took off his hat, jacket, and shoes, and then wrapped the rope twice around his waist before tying it. Turning to the other candy girl, he instructed her: "I'm going in after her. When I've brought her back to the bank, help me get her out of the river."

"Anything you say, Mister Orangeboar!" she squeaked.

Gloyd couldn't help but smirk at the mention of his name coming off the lips of one of Taffyta's fans.

Gloyd ran upstream as far as his rope would let him, and then he dove into the river of lemonade. Confidently he then swam downstream with the current and out to the gumdrops where the little lollipop girl was hanging on for dear life, clawing at the gum with her fingers to prevent being taken away by the rushing waters. "Grab onto the rope!" he told her. "I'm going to swim you back to shore."

He pushed the rope toward her and put his arm around her waist as she grabbed onto it. "Ready?" he asked when she appeared to have a good grip.

"Yes!" she whimpered.

"Let's go. Just keep holding tightly to the rope. That's all you have to do. Just hold tight to it. I'll keep your head up and move us back to shore."

And they did just that, following the natural arc of the rope as it gracefully swung them across the slightly cloudy pink water. At that point the other girl met them at the bank and pulled her twin to safety.

On dry land again, the dripping candy girl fell into her sister's arms, crying and shivering. "I was so scared!" she wept.

"I was too!"

They kissed each other and then turned to Gloyd. "You saved me," blurted the wet one, her voice tremulous. "Thank you, Mister Orangeboar."

"Please, call me Gloyd," he said modestly.

"Thank you, Gloyd. You were so brave."

He smiled. "I'm just glad I happened to be here. Otherwise you could have been in that river a long time."

"I might have drowned."

"Yep. Well you're safe now." Gloyd stood and nodded to them. "I'm getting back to my kart now. You girls be careful out here. You're a long way from town." And then he paused. "What are you doing so far from town?" he questioned.

"Oh, just out walking," said the first girl quickly.

"Well just watch your step. I won't always be around to rescue you," he grinned, and then turned to leave.

-o-o-o-o-o-

The next day Gloyd went straight home after the Random Roster Race and pulled the Kernel into the driveway. As he came up the walk, he noticed that someone had pulled the broken tree branch off of the pavers. It had fallen in some rough winds a week ago, but he'd left it there, simply stepping over it, planning on dealing with it eventually. But someone had beaten him to it.

And on coming to the front door he discovered that someone was inside already. Entering, he called out: "Hello! Who's here?"

Immediately two figures appeared in the doorway to the kitchen, whom he immediately recognized as the two strawberry lollipop girls he'd helped the previous day. At least he could assume they were the two. The candy-citizens all looked alike. But why else would Taffyta's fans be here? One was wearing his apron, which he never wore himself, and she greeted him happily. "Gloyd! Welcome home!"

"Yes, welcome home," echoed the other.

"You're the girls from yesterday, right?" he confirmed.

"Yes," they both answered in unison.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, taking off his jacket and tossing it over the back of the couch.

"We wanted to thank you for rescuing me," said the one without the apron. "It was so brave and selfless of you," she gushed. "Most people would have probably said that I should just drown and regenerate."

"So we cleaned up your kitchen and cooked you dinner as a little thank you. It's what we can do to show our appreciation."

"Well that's very nice of you. I didn't know that you could cook."

For a moment the pair looked at each other, something of nervousness on their faces. And then the one in the apron said: "All candy-citizens can cook. How do you think we survive?"

Gloyd laughed, and then the apronless one led him to the table. "I hope you're hungry. We made lots of good food for you."

"Well thank you. This is a nice surprise."

The aproned girl dished out the meal onto three plates and then the girls sat down with him. Bravely Gloyd picked up his fork, unsure of what sort of taste the cooking of a candy-citizen would have, but on sampling it he found he liked it. And when he emptied his plate he even asked for seconds.

Through the meal the girls talked about what they had seen on their walk before the fall into the river, about the rescue, about the day's races, and about Gloyd's kart. "So what were you doing out in that area anyway?" he asked them.

"Oh, just walking. I guess we walked a little too far," said the aproned one.

"Yes. Too far from home."

"How did you end up in the river?"

At the question both girls looked rather confused. "We were trying to cross it upstream, where there were some logs fallen across the water."

"I was leading the way, and suddenly the log I was standing on just...just disappeared."

Gloyd laughed out loud. "Those darn double-stripe logs. They get everyone at some point."

"It's not funny," the girls pouted. "We could have been hurt."

"I almost drowned!"

Gloyd apologized. At least he'd happened to be there and was able to rescue the victim of the log's fickle existence. And as the meal drew to a close and the apron-less girl began to take the plates to the kitchen to wash, a sudden horrible realization hit him. Why hadn't he recognized it before? Every interaction with them had hinted at it. How could he not have seen it earlier?

Gloyd stared at the pair. "You're Evolved!" he exclaimed. "No wonder you didn't want to regenerate when you were caught in that river," he accused.

Evolved was a dirty word in Sugar Rush. Evolved was a crime. Evolved was a social sin.

"Evolved!?"

"You two have evolved! Oh sugar! You could be in so much trouble! I could be in so much trouble!" He stood up and subconsciously backed away from the table.

"We aren't Evolved," protested the one wearing his apron, her face looking guilt-ridden despite her protestation of innocence.

Her sister glanced at her, shock and guilt on her own face. "Sister..."

-o-o-o-o-o-

"**Heart of Darkness" continues in Chapter 2: "The Sisters' Secret"**

-o-o-o-o-o-

_Wreck-It Ralph _and all related concepts, characters, worlds, and events are property of Walt Disney Pictures. Original characters and story elements are property of E. Potter, writing under the pen name of Miratete.


	2. The Sisters' Secret

**Heart of Darkness**

-o-o-o-o-o-

**What's going on in this candy-coated heart of darkness?**

**~Wreck-It Ralph**

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Chapter 2: The Sisters' Secret**

-o-o-o-o-o-

It happened now and then that for some unknown reason a candy-citizen would suddenly and unexplainably grow beyond his or her Code, developing mentally and emotionally. The Evolved were more than the happy-go-lucky lobotomized populace, whose lives centered around showing up at the races to cheer.

The Evolved thought. They could hold an intelligent conversation. They asked questions. They gave themselves names. They tried to learn. They sometimes even developed an interest in religion. They developed emotions beyond the joy and fear their kind were programmed to have.

Five years ago King Candy had suddenly cracked down on the Evolved. "They're not supposed to be this way," he'd told his subjects. "Their Code has been corrupted. They're like that pesky little Glitch out there."

And here was Gloyd sitting across his dinner table from two of them. They looked no different from Taffyta's regular fans. He could have looked over a whole stand full of Evolved and not noticed anything otherwise about them. Except perhaps the eyes. There was something of an intelligence in them, something of an understanding.

"We'll go," said the aproned one, rising from the table quietly and stepping away.

"No, don't go," said Gloyd, reaching for her as she moved away. "Look, I'm okay with it. I met an Evolved guy once, and he was really cool."

The non-aproned one paused. "Who was he?"

"I don't know if he had a name. He was one of Adorabeezle's green peppermints."

"What happened to him? Was he...?"

Gloyd glanced nervously to the side. "I'm not sure. We met once, and that was it. I don't know if King Candy got him."

For the first couple months of the crackdown, any Evolved that were caught had been smashed to pieces by the guards in the main square of the town, forcing them to regenerate. Apparently that was enough to end the aberration, and the poor thing would regenerate anew, pure and uncorrupted, absent of memories and the stain of intelligence, unaware that he or she had ever lived an unwanted existence.

After that phase of what were essentially public executions, any Evolved that were caught were dragged away by the guards, never to be seen again.

The non-aproned girl rushed to his side. "He could just be hiding. It's possible to hide being Evolved."

"It can't be that easy to hide. I figured out what you two were."

"We'll be going..." said the other one nervously. She untied the apron and took her sister's arm and drew her away. "You'll never see us again, so you won't get in trouble."

"Wait. Don't go. I want you to stay. You can hide here."

"Why? Why ever would you want to harbor criminals?"

Gloyd paused. They had a point. Why would he want them around? "I...I guess I kinda like you two. And I feel kinda responsible for you ever since I pulled you out of the river."

"Oh?" the pair asked in unison.

"You did save me," said one.

"Do you have names?"

"We do."

"What did you name yourselves?"

"It's not important," said the aproned girl, her defenses rising yet again. Caution—that was another trait of the Evolved. "We must be off. It will be a long day tomorrow."

"Will you come back? Ever? To visit?"

The twins looked at each other, and then back at Gloyd. "It's best if we don't, now that you know what we are."

"I don't mind that you're Evolved. In fact I like you the better for it. I mean it. You can come here any time you want, just as long as no one sees you coming or going."

The two looked at each other again. "We'll think about it..." was their non-committal conclusion.

-o-o-o-o-o-

"**Heart of Darkness" continues in Chapter 3: "Strawberry Nights"**

-o-o-o-o-o-

_Wreck-It Ralph _and all related concepts, characters, worlds, and events are property of Walt Disney Pictures. Original characters and story elements are property of E. Potter, writing under the pen name of Miratete.


	3. Strawberry Nights

**Heart of Darkness**

-o-o-o-o-o-

**What's going on in this candy-coated heart of darkness?**

**~Wreck-It Ralph**

-o-o-o-o-o-

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Chapter 3: Strawberry Nights**

-o-o-o-o-o-

They did come back a couple of days later, much to Gloyd's delight. And this time they had a gift for him.

"Minky, and Impy," repeated Gloyd reverently, looking at the one with the tiny pink bow on her dress and then the one with the tiny white bow on her dress. These barely noticeable twists of ribbon candy were the only visual thing that separated them from the rest of their kind. "Your names are so cute."

The girls clasped each others' hands and giggled. "We chose them ourselves."

"They say that's what the Evolved do. I guess you really are."

"Having a name makes you a real person. Not just a little NPC. A name is power."

"It's true, Gloyd. Think about it. And that's why a name is so important to an Evolved."

"Do you know any other named Evolved?"

The two sisters looked at each other. "We do, but we won't tell you. It's wrong to share the names. Only the person himself is allowed to give you his name."

"So you Evolved have lots of laws to keep each other safe."

"Not lots. Just a few. But we hold them dear. It's hard enough to find the other Evolved already, but we all share this bond of fear."

Gloyd sighed. "Such a shame that it's this way."

"Yes. And there's nothing we can do about it. We're powerless to change the world."

Gloyd was unsure of what to say, but he hugged them both and assured them that they would always be safe with him, and that he would keep their secret hidden.

-o-o-o-o-o-

It went on like this over the next several weeks. The two candy-citizens reappeared about every other day, Gloyd coming home to find that they had again cooked dinner and were now cleaning up his house bit by bit. It was like having two tiny housewives looking after him.

They would eat together, Gloyd telling them of the days races, and the girls talking about the things they'd seen around the stands and about the town, about new words they had learned and things they had seen. Gloyd was always charmed by their innocent observations. After dinner they would play games and tell stories and read to each other.

He looked forward to the time spent with them, even if he felt guilty every time he spent an evening with Minky and Impy. But a guilty pleasure it was. He loved their company, and he loved teaching them things, and he loved watching their excitement and delight at learning something new. They were expanding—growing. Being their teacher—their mentor—made him feel important, as if he had some greater purpose than simply racing.

And then one night, while it was still dark outside, he woke early and went downstairs for a glass of water, only to discover the two sleeping on his sofa. "Popsicle sticks!" he exclaimed and rushed over to them. "What are you doing here?"

The two girls woke and shyly pulled their shared blanket up over themselves, quite aghast at having been discovered. "We didn't want to leave. We wanted to stay close to you."

"You'll make people suspicious if you don't go home, won't you? You need to go before anyone notices that you didn't return home to your cabin!" he said fearfully. The candy-citizens all lived together in barracks-like cabins near the speedway, all sorted according to the racer they cheered for. "I don't want you to be discovered," he pleaded. "You know what could happen if you are. How would I explain why you were here?"

Minky and Impy sighed and nodded in agreement. "If you don't want us to stay here, we'll go home."

Gloyd sighed. "It's not that I don't want you to. It's just that if you're found out...well..." In all honesty, he was secretly delighted to find them downstairs.

"Could we stay the rest of tonight at least?" asked Impy.

Gloyd looked at the clock. Half of the night remained. "All right. But you'll have to leave at dawn. It would be too suspicious if anyone spotted you leaving here."

"Thank you!" they both squealed, flinging their thin arms about his neck and kissing him fondly.

Gloyd giggled and winced under their kisses. "You girls are just too sweet."

"Stay sweet!" Minky chirped, imitating Taffyta.

"C'mon. You don't have to sleep down here." He took their hands and led them upstairs. He shoved his pile of clothes off of the daybed in his room and tucked them down onto it. They'd not brought their maid service into his bedroom yet. "You can sleep here. It's much bigger than the couch."

"Thank you, Gloyd!" Minky giggled.

"We love you, Gloyd," Impy grinned.

"I love...I love..." The words caught in his throat at what he was saying. But seeing the girls hanging in anticipation of the next statement, he knew he couldn't hold back. Their dark eyes blinked at him. Their little lips smiled. "I love you girls too," he said sheepishly.

They squealed joyously and were out of the bed and hugging him again.

"Minky! Impy!" Gloyd protested as they kissed his cheeks. "You have to get some sleep and then go."

"But you love us."

Somehow Gloyd never quite made it back into his own bed. The three of them ended up in a happy cuddle-pile, sleeping with their arms around each other on the daybed.

And after that, on the nights when the girls stayed over, they snuggled together into Gloyd's bed, Minky and Impy cradling the racer as he slept.

-o-o-o-o-o-

"**Heart of Darkness" continues in Chapter 4: "A Public Warning"**

-o-o-o-o-o-

_Wreck-It Ralph _and all related concepts, characters, worlds, and events are property of Walt Disney Pictures. Original characters and story elements are property of E. Potter, writing under the pen name of Miratete.


	4. A Public Warning

**Heart of Darkness**

-o-o-o-o-o-

**What's going on in this candy-coated heart of darkness?**

**~Wreck-It Ralph**

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Chapter 4: A Public Warning**

-o-o-o-o-o-

It was another evening together, the three of them having dinner together when halfway through the meal they heard a kart pull up into the driveway. Almost instinctively Minky and Impy ran upstairs and dove under Gloyd's bed. When the heavy fist hit the door, Gloyd was there opening it. Swizzle barged in, his hair wild as he seemed to have forgotten his cap.

"Swizz, what's up?" Gloyd asked as the ruffled racer barged in.

"They caught an Evolved! One of Candlehead's fans!" Swizzle blurted. "He'd stolen King Candy's kart and was zooming about the tracks. Taffyta managed to run him down and then they jumped him."

The pit of Gloyd's stomach turned. "So that was the noise. I heard a lot of engine sounds earlier and wondered who was out racing at this time."

"That would have been him, and then Taffyta chasing him."

"So did they take him back to the castle?"

"They did. But they're going to regenerate him in the town square tomorrow before the arcade opens."

"Publicly?! They've not had a public execution in years!" Gloyd heard a faint cry from upstairs. He knew the girls could hear all this.

"It's not an execution. It's...well...I know. It's been a long time. I guess Candy feels it's time for a reminder, especially given all the damage this guy did. They'll be cleaning up after him for hours." Swizzle suddenly glanced over at the table and noticed that it was set with three places, a half-eaten meal on each plate. He cocked an eyebrow at Gloyd.

Gloyd trembled ever so slightly, but his quick mind was ready with an explanation. "Just working out a new prank. You might not want to accept any dinner invitations from me for a while...unless you like eating soap."

Swizzle grinned. "I just might come to watch. Got a victim in mind?"

"Not yet. Just waiting for someone to cross me on the track, as usual." He put on a smug grin for show. Inside he was terrified that Swizzle would question him further.

"I'll make sure I'm careful out there. Well, I gotta go tell Adorabeezle and then tell the Recolors. Catch you later." He walked out running a hand through his wild hair, and as soon as the Tongue Twister was gone, Minky and Impy came barreling down the stairs.

"Do you know who this guy is?" Gloyd asked, his hands shaking.

The girls shook their heads. "Not personally. We do know that there are three Evolved among Candlehead's fans. I hope the one doesn't rat out the others." The pair stood holding each other. "Sometimes... sometimes they've come for others after one has been captured." They were trembling as much as Gloyd was.

"I'm scared!" squeaked Impy.

Gloyd went to them and held them both. "I'm sure you'll be fine. I think King Candy is just mad at this guy for stealing his kart and taking it for a joy-ride." He kissed them both on the forehead. "But it might be best if you head home now.

"I'd feel safer at home," bleated Impy.

"I'd feel safer if you were at home," said Gloyd.

He kissed them goodbye, and the two were off, running away from the Pumpkin Pavilion as fast as they could through the moonlight.

-o-o-o-o-o-

When morning came, the citizenry and the racers gathered in the town square where a scaffold had been set up. Candy was there, as were most of the CLAW officers and plenty of Oreo guards. The square was filled to bursting, and the guards had to shove their way through to bring the prisoner and King Candy to the scaffold.

Ascending to the platform, King Candy approached the edge and addressed the crowd. "My loyal subjects, it is with much sadness that we are gathered here. After years of nothing but happiness in _Sugar Rush_, an Evolved has appeared to disturb us all. Last night he stole a kart—my kart—and led us on a wild chase all over the kingdom until he was caught." At this point Candy smiled down at Taffyta who was standing below in a small knot of racers. "My thanks and the thanks of the kingdom to Taffyta Muttonfudge for her brave and selfless assistance in capturing this criminal, without which he would still be at large, terrorizing you all."

Taffyta beamed as she received congratulatory pats on the shoulders from her friends and fans.

"And now, without further ado, we shall present this heinous criminal for regeneration, that he may see the error of his ways, but then be renewed and given a chance to live happily once again, as I am a good and forgiving king."

Candy stepped back and two of the Oreo guards dragged the prisoner forward to show him to the crowd. He was indeed one of Candlehead's fans, a piece of pale blue taffy. The wax-paper wrapper enclosing his head was much torn and he looked rather the worse for wear, betelling a rough night spent in the Fungeon.

Gloyd glanced over at Candlehead, who was standing in Torvald's and Snowanna's arms, her eyes full of tears. Poor girl. The fact that one of her fans had gone rogue must have really hurt her. And she probably didn't know that there were at least two more Evolved amongst them if what Minky and Impy had said was true. And he wondered if Minky and Impy were amongst the crowd, or if they had been too scared to leave their home to watch.

"Apologize to the people of Sugar Rush," snarled the guard next to the prisoner as the piece of taffy was pushed forward.

The prisoner drew a deep breath, glanced out at the crowd, and began to speak loudly.

"People of Sugar Rush, citizens and racers, I do wish to say that I'm sorry." There was suddenly a mischievous light in his eyes. "I am sorry that you all live in this regime of lies and deception and control!" he shouted. "My name is Bandy and I regret nothing."

There were gasps of shock at the final speech, a moment that was meant to be solemn and formal and apologetic, to end with the prisoner grovelling for mercy and begging for his life. But this citizen was defiant to the end, even as the guards leapt on him to silence his sedition.

"Make it memorable," mumbled Candy to the executioner. "These regenerations used to be fun, but now they're just a necessary bother. I want this one to last a while in their memory." And with that the monarch left the stand.

Gloyd was thankful that his view of the scaffold was partially blocked, because the following scene was dreadful. The guards tore off what remained of the prisoner's wax-paper wrapper and his clothes. And then taking a large knife they began to cut apart his chewy body piece by piece, slice by slice, the man screaming in terror and pain.

The frightened crowd moaned and begged for the guards to finish it quickly. Eventually Bandy's integrity was breached and he disappeared. Candlehead was wailing and had to be carried away by Rancis and Taffyta. The crowd trembled in horror and began to disperse.

King Candy certainly wouldn't have to repeat this spectacle for some time.

The rebellious Bandy would regenerate at the next quarter-drop, a happy smiling citizen of Sugar Rush. Nameless. Clueless. Wholesome. Stupid.

-o-o-o-o-o-

The execution put everyone on edge that day, and all the smiles given to the players were simply painted on out of habit.

Gloyd couldn't stop thinking about Minky and Impy—about their safety. By associating with them he was only compounding their crime, and his own. He'd befriended them, played with them, taught them to read, encouraged them, loved them.

Halfway through a race the realization hit him, a realization that he was in love with the two lollipop girls. He groaned. Not just with the love one would have for a friend; not just the love he had confessed to them as having, but a love that was more devoted. Did he dare say romantic? He shuddered and his speed lagged. How could he feel this way? They were candy-citizens—happy, bouncy, cheerful, brainless citizens whose lives revolved around supporting their favorite racer.

No. Minky and Impy were so much more than that—more than the mindless citizens of the game. They had crossed over into his realm. There was awareness. There was intelligence. There were emotions.

No. He couldn't be in love with them he told himself. He just felt close to them because he had rescued Impy, and then they had become friends. That was it. Nothing more than friends.

He sighed. Who was he kidding? It was much more than that. He'd grown attached. He'd found devotion. He'd stumbled blindly into affections.

And how could he have done such a foolish thing, to have let himself get involved with them. And they weren't even from amongst his own candy corn fans, but Taffyta's at that.

What if Minky and Impy were discovered and dragged away? And what would happen to him? Where would King Candy's judgment fall regarding an errant racer?

He tried to ignore the painful realization and put his mind back on the track. But every time he passed Taffyta's stand, each and every heart-shaped face reminded him of this awkward sin.

Thankfully after the busy surge of the early afternoon things got quiet in Sugar Rush. Gloyd hid himself beneath his own grandstand and tried to escape. He hugged his knees to his chest and buried his face against them. Overhead, he could hear his fans chatting mindlessly, calling pointless greetings to each other. Impy and Minky were so much better than that. They had things to say...real things...intelligent things.

And suddenly they were there, beneath the stand with him.

"What are you doing here?" Gloyd gasped.

"We saw you come under here."

"What's wrong Gloyd? You're crying." Minky picked up the hem of her striped dress and blotted his face.

"I didn't realize I was crying," said Gloyd, suddenly ashamed of himself for hiding away like this instead of being bold through his dilemma.

"What are you crying about?" they asked.

"Nothing," he lied. Isn't that what he was supposed to say?

"Why would you be crying about nothing.? You must be crying about something."

Gloyd found he couldn't help but smile. They were so wise despite their innocent origins. "The execution scared me," he confessed. "But I can't talk now."

"Could we talk later? We're scared too."

Gloyd nodded, helpless against their tenderness. "Later. After the Random Roster Race."

"We'll come to your house tonight."

"We'll be secretly cheering for you," said Minky, but there was a sadness in her eyes. And with that she and her sister kissed him on the cheek and they departed.

-o-o-o-o-o-

"**Heart of Darkness" continues in Chapter 5: "Too Close to Home"**

-o-o-o-o-o-

_Wreck-It Ralph _and all related concepts, characters, worlds, and events are property of Walt Disney Pictures. Original characters and story elements are property of E. Potter, writing under the pen name of Miratete.


	5. Too Close to Home

**Heart of Darkness**

-o-o-o-o-o-

**What's going on in this candy-coated heart of darkness?**

**~Wreck-It Ralph**

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Chapter 5: Too Close to Home**

-o-o-o-o-o-

Minky and Impy were waiting expectantly when Gloyd returned from the garage after the Random Roster Race. As often before they had dinner waiting for him. He'd missed his little family life, his two ladies looking after him.

"What should we do?" asked Minky after the meal was finished and Impy began to clear the table.

Gloyd's throat felt tight. He'd been dreading this. It was so wrong, but he felt they should know. He had to stop things before they went any further. "I'm in love with you girls," he blurted.

The pair blinked at him. "Gloyd!" Impy gasped.

"Oh gumdrops!" Minky choked.

"I know. At least I think I am. I mean I loved you before, but not like this."

Minky took his hand. "We're just candy-citizens. You're not supposed to fall in love with us. King Candy says that we're too dumb to know what love is."

"I know. Well usually...well normally there's not much there to fall in love with. But you two..." He looked at them through tear-filled eyes. "There's so much more to you. Every time I see you, I feel so happy. I want to hold onto you both and never let go."

"Oh Gloyd!"

"I've felt so close to you both, ever since that day I rescued you, Impy. It was like we three were meant to be together."

"But we can't be together. It's against the law. What if we were caught?" Minky broke down into tears and her sister comforted her.

"Gloyd," Impy sniffled. "We're in love with you too. But we couldn't admit it. We've been in love with you. But...because you're a racer and we're just...we couldn't bring ourselves to tell you."

Minky was gasping. "Impy, you weren't supposed to tell him."

"But we all love each other," protested Impy.

"And that makes it all the worse." Minky collapsed into Impy's lap and sobbed, the two of them soaking their little dresses with tears.

Gloyd fetched some tissues and handed them to the girls, keeping one for himself to blot at his own face.

"Gloyd, what are we supposed to do now?" Impy asked. "We all know this is so wrong. If anyone ever found out, we'd be...we'd be..." She couldn't continue.

"We all saw what happened to Bandy. I couldn't handle it if you were forced to regenerate," he sobbed himself. His mind went back to the first public execution, when three of Crumbelina's cookie bears and one of Swizzle's lollipops were declared enemies of the state and in a horrible and shocking spectacle were smashed to pieces in front of everyone. The candy-citizenry had been terrified. And now that they'd thought the demonstrations were over, another Evolved had been made an example of. Admittedly Bandy had been defiant and reckless, but it had scared them nonetheless. The quiet, happy candy kingdom suddenly ran with fear.

Minky caught up her sister's hands and pulled her to her feet. "We should go," she said softly, tears running like a weeping spring.

Impy nodded weakly. "We all know we're playing with fire by meeting like this."

The two kissed Gloyd one last time and departed, slipping out sorrowfully.

The racer threw himself bitterly onto the couch and and wept, feeling as if the jagged, broken pieces of his heart were cutting his throat and crushing his lungs. It wasn't fair. Why did the Evolved have to be criminals? Why did Minky and Impy have to leave to protect the three of them?

It was the first time love had found him, and it wasn't fair.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Gloyd was an emotional wreck over the next week as he went through the motions of daily life. He knew he was doing the right thing. The safe thing. The legal thing. But why did it have to hurt so much?

"Hey! Gloyd!" Swizzle called to him between players the third afternoon. "There's been this black cloud been hanging over you all week. What's the deal?"

"Just in a bad mood. Just leave me alone," he sighed.

"Whatever, Gloyd."

Jubileena Bing Bing, having overheard the exchange, was giving Gloyd a sympathetic look, and later that evening, just before the Random Roster Race, Jubileena came over and handed Gloyd a bouquet of orange candy flowers.

"Uh...thank you," was his nonchalant response.

"Swizzle's right. You've been looking sad lately," she said, smiling benevolently. "And it's okay to be sad some days. But tomorrow I hope you're smiling again."

Her comment couldn't help but make him smirk. "Jubileena, you're a good friend."

She beamed. "I know you're a private sort of guy, but if you need someone to talk to tonight, I'll be home."

Gloyd smiled again. That was very kind of her, considering she had lots of friends she could be hanging out with instead of hanging around waiting for him. But how could he tell her of his love for Impy and Minky? What if she laughed at his blind love for them? What if she turned him in?

"Would you try hard tonight to get onto the Roster? You've only been on it once this week. I've missed racing against you."

"Really? No, you're just saying that."

"No really. You're a good match for me on the track."

Gloyd forced himself to smile. "All right. I'll try."

-o-o-o-o-o-

Jubileena opened her door to find Gloyd standing there. "Gloyd! I didn't think you'd come."

"Yeah, I was just nearby and thought I'd at least say hello," he said, trying to sound casual. In honesty, he really did want to talk to someone.

"Well come inside," she said, opening the door in invitation.

Gloyd entered and sat on her couch. She popped into the kitchen and fetched a couple of drinks. And when she set the tray down onto the table in front of the couch he looked up at her. "Jubileena? Can you keep a secret?"

"I can if you ask me to. Is this secret what's bothering you?

Timidly he nodded.

Jubileena sat down next to him. "I promise I won't tell anyone. Cross my heart and hope to die," she said, drawing an X over her chest.

Gloyd folded his hands together. "I fell in love with someone...someone I shouldn't."

"Oh?" Her eyes lit up. "Do I know her?"

He shook his head.

"And she's someone you shouldn't fall in love with because...?"

"She's a criminal."

"A bad guy? Oh wow!"

"No, not a bad guy. An actual criminal. If she's caught, she'll...she'll be...well I'll never see her again." The words spilled out quickly.

Jubileena drew back. "Oh my! Gloyd! That bad?"

"Yes."

"Well what game is she in? No wait! Don't tell me. I don't want to know."

"I...I don't want to say anyway. I just don't know what to do. I love her so much and I want to spend all my time with her. But if she's caught..." He'd been trying to be brave, trying to stay unattached to the story, but it was impossible to contain his sorrow. Tears began to pool in his eyes. "I don't want to lose her. And I can't turn her in, even though I'm supposed to. I'm sorry to trouble you with this, but I just am so upset and frustrated about it."

Jubileena put her arm around Gloyd's shoulder. Then you'll just have to meet her secretly, and never let anyone see you together, because you could get in trouble as well if you're caught with her."

"Do you think so?"

"I suppose it depends on which game she's from, but I'd guess that most games wouldn't be too welcoming of you socializing with a known criminal. There might be charges of aiding and abetting.

Gloyd moaned. "That's not good What do you think would happen in our game? If she were from Sugar Rush?"

"I don't know. King Candy's kinda weird. Sometimes he's very forgiving. Sometimes he's not. He forgave Candlehead that time she got out of line. But that time Swizzle and Minty painted his kart green, he put them in the Fungeon for two weeks even though it was just a joke.

"I remember that. He was really pissed."

"Yeah. Don't mess with his kart. Look what happened to that Evolved guy just last week."

Gloyd cringed. "I guess I did the right thing then by telling her we couldn't be together." The tears he'd been holding back suddenly spilled and he collapsed in sobs on Jubileena's couch.

"Oh Gloyd! You didn't tell me you broke up with her already. You poor thing." Jubileena put her arms around him tightly. "I'm so sorry."

"I didn't want her to get caught coming to see me. And I was afraid of getting into trouble myself," he sobbed."

"Oh Gloyd." She got up and brought him a handkerchief, and then dabbed at his tears. "I know it must hurt so much right now. But you probably did the right thing."

"You think so?" he sniffled.

She nodded. "I'm sure it doesn't feel that way though."

-o-o-o-o-o-

"**Heart of Darkness" continues in Chapter 6: "Carry On Dancing"**

-o-o-o-o-o-

_Wreck-It Ralph _and all related concepts, characters, worlds, and events are property of Walt Disney Pictures. Original characters and story elements are property of E. Potter, writing under the pen name of Miratete.


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